Operation Blackout and Durgalad Coup

"I bet we all thought this was going to be a simple mission. Hell, I thought this would just be some standard job of wiping out a den of pirates or thieves; finding them should've been the hardest part. But great gods, it was if those women were trained by Lolth herself. To think we had a chance up until they led us through that chase to that great underground palace with warriors, weapons and armors of the sort I've never seen... Gods, it was a holy mess, and I can only hope the men we left behind died quickly and honorably." - Delentus Stone, Orizon City Garde infantryman

The Conflict

Prelude

Operation Blackout was planned as a joint effort between Orizon and Bolg. A contingency of troops composed of members of the Orizon City Garde and the Army of Bolg were tasked with locating and eliminating the Shata Oselle after their string of attacks in Bolg.

Battlefield

Fairweather Sky Outpost (Fairweather outskirts) and the steps of the Palace of Queens (Durgalad City)

The Engagement

The Orizon/Bolg coalition forces, along with the assistance from a group of Altus freelancers, launched their siege on the Fairweather Sky Outpost in the dark of night the morning of 1738.4.22. The coalition was met with moderate resistance until the Shata Oselle had cleared out a necessary amount of resources. The battle lasted nearly an hour before the Shata Oselle began to evacuate the skyland via teleportation by shadow messengers. In an effort to wipe out the Shata Oselle before they could regroup and retaliate, the coalition traced their warp back to Durgalad and had a caster on-site open a portal to follow. The commencing battle proved to be especially bloody as the conflict had now three sides: The Shata Oselle, the pursuing coalition forces, and now the LIM technics attempting to defend their city. Without any clear orders, the coalition forces were spread thin attempting to run offense against all perceived threats. The Shata Oselle managed to use this chaos to their advantage and attempt a siege of the Palace of Queens. They were held off for a time at the peak of the palace steps by Amalfi, a squad of Technics, and the motley crew of Altus wizards. They seemed capable of holding off the attackers until Kazi Druyin used this distraction to assassinate her sister. By rule of Durgalian law, this made Kazi Druyin rightful queen of Durgalad. Upon realizing the death and replacement of their queen, the technics were now under the command of the puppet master of the Shata Oselle. Only the Altus crew and a small number coalition forces were able to successfully warp out of the city before the open fire order was given to the LIMTs by Kazi.

Outcome

With Amalfi dead, Kazi Druyin was able to reinstate the Shata Oselle into the ranks of the Durgalian Military. Coalition forces were unable to evacuate all of their troops. Those left behind are presumed killed in action; there has not been any official plan for search and rescue, especially with the weapon Durgalad (Stormcrawler) unleashed shortly after the battle.

Historical Significance

Technological Advancement

This battle was the first time any nation outside Durgalad came into contact with source technology, and the technology required to synthesize source crystals. A batch of source crystals and other equipment onsite were relinquished and taken back to Orizon for study.

Conflict Type

Siege

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

AB 1738.4.22

Ending Date

AB 1738.4.22

Location

Amerinth